Arizona man describes shears impaling eye socket

By AMANDA LEE MYERS | August 30, 2011 | 3:35 PM EDT

In this image provided by the University Medical Center in Tucson, a CT scan shows a pair of pruning shears embedded in the head of an 86-year-old Green Valley, Ariz., man before it was removed by Medical Center surgeons in Tucson on July 30, 2011. Leroy Luetscher was accidentally impaled through his eye socket after falling on the shears while working in his yard, the handle penetrating his eye socket and reaching down into his neck. He is expected to make a full recovery. (AP Photo/University Medical Center,Tucson, Arizona)

PHOENIX (AP) — An 86-year-old Arizona man whose eye socket was impaled with a pair of pruning shears says he experienced excruciating pain during the ordeal and feels lucky to be alive.

Leroy Luetscher, a Wisconsin native who lives in Green Valley, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had just finished trimming plants in his backyard July 30 when he lost his balance and fell on the shears.

The tool went into his eye socket and down into his neck, resting against the carotid artery. Half the shears were left in his head, while the other half was sticking out, and Luetscher was covered with blood.

Luetscher says he believes the pain kept him awake, allowing him to walk to his house and beckon his longtime girlfriend, who called 911.